Now that Santa is back up north and the ball has dropped, we’ll go back in time to October and continue our Bay State Getaway. Naumkeag – another gorgeous Gilded Age mansion – was all decked out for Halloween. It definitely got me in the mood for a pumpkin spice latte!

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Bay State Getaway 2022.

Pumpkins at the Cottage

A quick thirty-minute drive and we were in Stockbridge, MA for the “Incredible Pumpkin Show” at Naumkeag. Although only a few rooms of the mansion were open for viewing, the outside displays kept us busy with plenty of pumpkins nestled along the trails and amongst the landscaping. The flowers were nearly past their prime, but beautiful garden elements and several kinetic sculptures by George Rickey had me oohing and ahhing throughout the visit.

Rickey’s geometric sculptures are made of stainless steel, polished metal, and painted surfaces, and they move gracefully in the breezes along the hillside of Naumkeag. This exhibit is entitled ViewEscapes.

This estate is known for its fabulous gardens and its Berkshire “cottage”. Most people don’t think of a cottage as having 44 rooms on 48 acres, but its cedar-shake exterior does give it a more rustic New England charm. Overlooking Monument Mountain and the Housatonic River Valley, I could gaze at these views all day long.

“Naumkeag was a creation of the Gilded Age, a time of transformation after the Civil War, a time when Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt built their fortunes. The newly rich cemented their social position by constructing elaborate European-style country estates. The Choates were part of this social mix, but Naumkeag was a bit different – instead of a showplace open six weeks a season, it became a beloved family home used from April to November.

Naumkeag was the Native American name for Salem, MA, where Joseph Choate was born. Choate graduated from Harvard Law School and moved to New York City where he quickly rose to prominence. During his illustrious legal career, Choate was the premier courtroom lawyer, arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court. In 1899, Choate was appointed by President McKinley to be the Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Caroline Choate was a trained artist interested in women’s education, co-founding Barnard College.

The first photo above shows the Blue Steps of Naumkeag. This double stairway with its curved white railing is flanked by gorgeous birches and really stands out against the dark green yews behind it. Its purpose is to allow an easy transition between the house and the flower cutting garden via a very steep slope. If you zoom in on the photo, you can see all the courses heading up.

I couldn’t figure out why they were called Blue Steps, till I read that each of the arched “grottos” (now filled with pumpkin arrangements) are painted blue. For a beautiful photo where the trees have leaves, the flowers are in bloom and the grottos are vibrant blue, visit Naumkeag’s website and click on Naumkeag’s History in the green box a ways down.

Joseph and Caroline’s daughter, Mabel Choate, inherited Naumkeag in 1929, and for the next 30 years worked with landscape architect Fletcher Steele to create the magnificent gardens for which Naumkeag is now known, including the world-famous Blue Steps… Mabel Choate bequeathed Naumkeag in its entirety, including all of the household furnishings and fine art, to The Trustees of Reservations. Since the property’s opening in 1959, it has become a popular destination for area residents and visitors to the southern Berkshires.” ~ READ MORE

Haunted House

Most of our tour was outside and the pumpkins were fantastic. It took us a while to realize that a good percentage of them were plastic, but there were some carved ones in the mix. The cauldron just above had smoke spewing from it later on, but unfortunately I didn’t get a picture. The main level of the mansion was open and decorated with some scary elements in keeping with the holiday. I’d love a return visit to be able to see a little better and peruse the upstairs.

Side View

After the inside portion of our tour, we were directed to visit the Chinese Garden, but we snuck a peek at the back and another side of the house on our way. We walked up a narrow path lined with pink crocuses (I think) and up to a brick and dark stone wall, which was one of my favorite elements of the entire tour. We could enter the Garden thru a circular walkway – called the Moon Gate – that passed through the brick portion of the wall.

The Chinese Garden

The photos below were taken from inside the Garden looking back toward the house, with more pumpkins, another cauldron and another outbuilding. Up a few steps and we were treated to a laser light show with pumpkins as the main event.

What a Great Visit!

Beautiful garden elements and great views of the mountains and the mansion followed us to our car. Just before the last descent, a tent provided yet another surprise which began beyond the dark curtain in the last photo. There were a few folks with kids behind us and we could hear kiddos having a great time inside, so we skipped that one and headed back to the car.

A Smooth Finish

Since our breakfast wore off a while back, we thought it fitting to finish off this great afternoon with an early dinner at Patrick’s Pub in Pittsfield. Fridays in Wisconsin are synonymous with fish fries and beer, so when their Friday special was Fish & Chips, we paired that with a Guinness! We squeezed in just as Happy Hour began, but before the crowds. And thank goodness too, since it was soon packed! Sometimes it pays to be old and eat early!

Next up: Waterfalls, History, and Art

Happy trails,
Barb